Crozdig
}} |common_name = Crozdig |image_flag = crozdig.png |image_coat = |symbol_type = |image_map = crozdigmap.png |map_caption = |image_map2 = |map_caption2 = |capital = Zrotto Akkirig |largest_city = Gerettu |largest_settlement = |largest_settlement_type = Largest City |ethnic_groups = 100% Crozdigian |demonym = Crozdigian |government_type = Presidential Republic |leader_title1 = Raikazza |leader_name1 = Fuerxik Garebbid |area_sq_mi = 19,670 |area_rank = 148th |population_estimate = 4,200,000 |population_estimate_rank = 73rd |population_density_sq_mi = 213 |population_density_rank = 4th |sovereignty_type = Important Dates |established_event1 = |established_year1 = |established_event2 = Rule of Grezede III |established_date2 = 1113-1089 BU |established_event3 = Crozdigian Revolution |established_date3 =912-901 BU|area_km2 = 50,945|population_density_km2 = 82|currency = Crozdigian Urrem}}'Crozdig '(Crozdigian: Grozdig '' IPA 'grozdik), officially the '''Great Republic of Crozdig '(Crozdigian: ''Sa Grozdigic Tomsüse’üli ''IPA təmsysɛ'ʔyli) is an island nation off the west coast of Zalaym. Crozdig was once the center of a large empire covering much of southwestern Zalaym before a series of wars against the Kingdom of Bikka eroded its stability. After a period of hemorrhaging its mainland possessions, Crozdig was able to leverage its strategic position and historic dominance of the region to become a major mercantile power. Crozdig was arguably the world's first major republic, as the monarchy was overthrown and replaced with an elected government in 912 BU. However, Crozdig was unable to root out nobility systems in any of the lands it annexed. The archipelago is very mountainous, with thick jungles in the interior and densely-populated coasts. Crozdig shares a maritime border with Wal-Pei to the east and with Haxroxex to the south. History Early history Around 1300 BU, rich gold deposits were discovered on the biggest island, and soon what were once petty city-states became wealthy minor kingdoms. A series of diplomatic marriages and minor wars occurred over the following centuries. By the late 12th century BU, the Kingdom of Crozdig had become the dominant power in the island chain. Crozdigian Kingdom The king who truly established the dominance of Crozdig was Grezede III. His reign began in 1113 BU, with not even the entirety of the largest island under his control. From his base of power in Zrotto Akkirig, he was able to bring the entirety of the big island under his rule in under three years. Within a decade, all but a few isolated islands were part of the Kingdom of Crozdig. Near the end of his reign, he began launching raids on the Kingdom of Iiriokaalaa to his north, as well as sending exploratory missions up the Ambanwa River. He died in 1089 BU, having established Crozdig as a major regional power. His successors soon grew even richer off the islands’ gold, from Iiriokaalese tribute, and from goods and rare raw materials exported from the depths of the Valpen Peninsula. After the death of King Grezede IV, the grandson of Grezede III, in 1010 the reign of the “Good Kings” of Crozdig came to an end. The successors of Grezede III (r. 1113-1089), Öla’ög II (r. 1089-1050), and Grezede IV (r. 1050-1010) were overall much weaker rulers who struggled to maintain centralized control of the Kingdom. Grezede V (r. 1010-999) was a rather neglectful ruler who mostly delegated his duties to his ministers. His only son, ‘ürdyeb I (r. 999-983) was not a bright man, and woefully mismanaged the kingdom’s finances. ‘ürdyeb’s successor, Hazqodli I (r. 983-980, 977-960), started a program to right Crozdig’s ailing financial situation, but his harsh taxes greatly upset many powerful regional nobles. He was removed from power in 980, and he was replaced with his twelve-year-old nephew Ragmeci I (r. 980-977), with the boy’s father acting as regent. Ragmeci’s reign was short, and the problems begun under ‘ürdyeb only worsened under the gross nepotism of Ragmeci’s rule. Ragmeci was forced from power in 977, and Hazqodli was reinstalled as king. He once again instituted steep taxes, though not as bad as they had been. Hazqodli was assassinated in 960 while touring the mouth of the Ambanwa River. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Löñatti (r. 960-949), as Hazqodli had never married, and rumors of homosexuality had hounded him his whole adult life. Löñatti had a reputation for being extremely hotheaded, and he lived up to his reputation almost immediately. He declared war on the Kingdom of Pei, whose land Hazqodli was technically on when he was assassinated. The war was brutal and drawn out, with Crozdig losing many men and sinking deep into debt. The swampy geography made fighting a land war nearly impossible, and the Peii refused to meet the Crozdigians in open battle. After a decade of frequent attacks on Pei, the beleaguered Crozdigian lords had Löñatti removed from power and replaced with his oldest son, the 16-year-old Öla’ög III (r. 949-920). Öla’ög was neither a great king, nor embarrassingly incompetent. He proved himself to be an apt administrator, though many noted he lacked his father’s aggression and drive, as he often cowed to the regional lords. He was never able to recover the lost money from his father’s war debts, and Crozdig’s economy continued to flounder, despite the country’s gold output. Corruption ran rampant under his regime. He was well aware of the many issues facing his court, and he dealt with the stress poorly, being afflicted with frequent stomach pains in the final years of his life. Öla’ög III died at the age of 45 in 920. Iiriokaalaa had recently broken free of its tributary status, and he was not remembered kindly. Even his most ardent supporters posthumously admitted that he would have made a good bureaucrat, but there were much abler choices for rulers. Öla’ög was succeeded by his 18-year-old son, Kürxia II (r. 920-914). Kürxia, much like Grezede V almost a century earlier, was a neglectful ruler. He allowed many of the corrupt officials in power to continue their graft as he spent most of his reign drinking heavily and sleeping around with every woman he could. After six years of the country slowly destroying itself, Kürxia was arrested, detained, and stripped of his powers by a faction of ministers who had appointed themselves guardians of the state. Kürxia, while outwardly defiant, wrote in letters to one of his favorite lovers that he was inwardly glad, as he had never much enjoyed the responsibilities of kingship. Kürxia II was replaced with a cousin, Xiunnita I (r. 914-912). With the precedent of the king’s authority being overridden, suddenly the monarchy found itself severely lacking in public support. Occasional clashes with Pei and Iiriokaalaa continued to tax the country’s resources. Crozdigian Revolution In 912, modeling themselves after the ministers who had removed Kürxia II from power, a group of wealthy citizens in Heñali (then the second-biggest city in Crozdig) calling themselves the Guardians of the State declared themselves the legitimate government of Crozdig. Soon masses of citizens flocked to their support, storming the city governor’s residence, capturing and executing him. With Heñali suddenly not under the monarchy’s control, armies were deployed to the city, but mass desertions occurred, exacerbating the problem. The extent of the Revolution’s reforms were uneven, though steady, with patches of the country gradually succumbing to civilian rule. Many rival factions popped up, though the original Guardians of the State remained the largest faction. The capital city of Zrotto Akkirig finally fell in 911. Hoping to save their own skins, the original Guardians who had deposed Kürxia opened the gates of the city and turned over King Xiunnita in an attempt to save their skins. Though their ouster of Kürxia was widely influential and well-supported, Xiunnita had won no friends, and their action had largely been recognized as selfish. They were not personally benefiting from Kürxia’s incompetence, so they installed a puppet who would be more beneficial to them. The original Guardians and King Xiunnita were arrested. With the whole country of Crozdig now under Guardian control, trials were begun for “traitors to the state”. Many high-ranking nobles were executed after show trials, and in early 910, Üdrimmös Kürxiedi, foremost of the self-appointed new Guardians, abolished the feudal system wholesale. Regional rivals to Crozdig noticed the state’s current state of tumult. Iiriokaalaa tried launching an invasion of Crozdig, and the Kingdom of Pei expelled all Crozdigian officials. Even the minor state of Xtohos attempted to seize some of the more southerly Crozdigian islands. The Guardians, a council of five, were largely divided about how to handle the myriad of external threats. Kürxiedi, viewing the other four as dilly-dalliers had them arrested and imprisoned under the pretense of not acting in Crozdig's best interests. He then declared himself sole Guardian of Crozdig and began a harsh crackdown on any public dissent. Iiriokaalaa’s invasion proved to be disastrously poorly-planned. Their invasion fleet was smashed by a fierce storm, and what ships managed to limp to the islands were seized, with most of the soldiers being killed very quickly. Internal turmoil slowed the response, and even after the Xtohoi invasion had been turned back great levels of social unrest and displeasure persisted. Kürxiedi, after just under a year acting as sole dictator of Crozdig, was arrested, removed from power, and executed shortly after a short show trial in 908. The previously-jailed Guardians were released, but three of them were in poor enough health from their imprisonment that they instead opted not to return to their former posts. With the one returning member, another four were quickly selected and installed, but their divisions greatly hampered any progress toward healing Crozdig and stabilizing the floundering economy. Kürxiedi had reignited some nostalgia for the days of a strong ruler who could govern by decree, and royalism saw a sudden upswing in popularity. A “Monarchy of Value” was promoted, in which the king would be selected from competent national leaders. A regional ruler from the southern end of the archipelago—‘ürdyeb Oñonatta—was chosen and crowned as ‘ürdyeb II. Crozdig soon began tearing itself apart again, as ‘ürdyeb’s backers and the backers of the Guardians began fighting. No major progress was made by either side as the war slogged on at extremely high costs. ‘ürdyeb II died of natural causes in 903 and was succeeded by Kürxia III Qonossi. The areas under Guardian control carried out an election for new Guardian Council members. The overwhelming majority of voters chose candidates who promised peace. Letters were sent to Kürxia’s government, and in 901 a treaty was struck. Kürxia gave up all claims to any sort of absolute power, but he insisted that the new government feature a strong executive position, so that the arguments of the Guardian Council would not unnecessarily bog down political progress. The Guardian Council was also renamed to the Council of Lords-Protector. It was also agreed that only landowners would be able to cast votes, as many of the elite feared that giving too much to commoners would result in them losing much of their power. Early Republican Crozdig After implementing the form of government, Crozdig focused most of its economic and social capital on rebuilding itself into a stable country that could exert a great deal of influence in the region. For the most part, Crozdig remained insular, trading occasionally with Pei, Xtohos, or the Ngefeth Islands. Iiriokaalaa was subjugated and made into a tributary state once again, as the general feeling was that it was practically part of Crozdig. In 832, the newly-ascendant Kingdom of Bikka invaded Iiriokaalaa. Crozdig tried to field forces to support the Iiriokaalese, but Bikka had greater numbers and more momentum than the Crozdigians, who were still wary of military engagements after the 7-year civil war. Iiriokaalaa finally fell and was annexed by the Bikkans in 826. The sudden loss of Iiriokaalese tribute took a toll on the Crozdigian economy. Bikka began flexing its muscle as well, pushing all the way to the Ambanwa River on mainland Zalaym. Under Ramdiegi Pöñekka, the 20th democratically-elected leader of Crozdig, a reversal of previous foreign policy took place. Following the Xemexi annexation of Xtohos in 801, Raikazza Pöñekka ordered the highly strategic Ngefeth Islands invaded and annexed in 795. Pöñekka feared Xemexi Hegemony around the Ngefeth Straits and wished to counteract that. The Prince of Fa’ama tried to get military assistance from Xemex or Bahëit, the two nearest states, but neither was willing to commit much material support. The rocky archipelago was overrun and annexed within a year. It was renamed Fe’eme, derived from the E’efe’e word for strait. An uneasy peace followed for the next eight decades; the Crozdigians controlled the Ngefeth Straits, and the Xemexi controlled the entrance to the Tlyk Gulf. In 712, Xemex established a fort on the extreme southern tip of the Valpen Peninsula. They had agreed to lease the land for 100 years from the King of Pei, who controlled the land at that time. Crozdig as a Major Power The Crozdigians still claimed Pei as a vassal, though they had not exercised their claim since the fall of the monarchy. With this Xemexi land lease, Raikazza Ötyö’ne Ñamburri—the 36th—sought to reestablish effective Crozdigian control over the Valpen Peninsula. An invasion was launched in 710 of the new Xemexi fort—called Ontlokejmei, after King Ontlok III, who ordered its construction. The Xemexi force held out for several months before finally falling. Xemexi naval response was weak, and overland support was unrealistic. All Xemexi forces were forced out of Pei within ten months. Some Crozdigian forces then turned against Xemex itself. The tip of the Haxro Peninsula was seized, and the fortified city of Gazzaril was founded. King Amvdhabish of Pei reacted angrily to the Crozdigian invasion and ordered a counter-attack. As forces marched from the more densely-populated north of Pei, the city of Ambanwa (City) formally requested integration into Crozdig. Less than 10% of the population of the city were ethnically Crozdigian, but economic ties were close enough that a political union was viewed favorably. The Crozdigian force that had been sent to Ontlokejmei was rather small, so a much larger force was sent to the Valpen Peninsula to combat the Peii forces. The Peii suffered a rapid string of crushing defeats, and by 708, King Amvdhabish surrendered his kingdom. In 633, the Kingdom of Uvitxi attempted to take Fe’eme from Crozdig. The Uvitxian invasion was a disaster. Crozdig had the most powerful navy in the region, and the islands were over 700 miles from the Uvitxi’s main population center. The resulting Crozdig-Uvitxi War was such a crushing defeat for Uvitxi that it resulted in them entering a political union with Xemex. Starting in 600, the Kingdom of Wal, which bordered the former Kingdom of Pei, began chafing under growing Crozdigian influence. Finally, an all-out war broke out in 596, followed by two others in 590 and 587. The final war in 587-584 resulted in Wal’s annexation to Crozdig, putting the entirety of the Valpen peninsula under Crozdigian rule. Wars with Bikka In 520, the Bikkan military attempted to take the city of Ambanwa. The Ambanwa River had served as the de facto border between Bikka and Crozdig for centuries, and this sudden and unexpected breach triggered the First Crozdigian War. Crozdig's response was swift and effective, capturing large swathes of land in southern Bikka within the first year. Then for nearly two decades, the conflict froze, with only sporadic military clashes. Finally, in 500, major fighting broke out once again at the mouth of the Ambanwa River. The north side was retaken by Bikka, though Ambanwa on the south side remained in Crozdigian hands. A treaty was struck in 499 BU which led to all land within 20 miles of the river that was formerly Bikkan, starting 20 miles inland, being transferred to Crozdig. Wars would flare up periodically with Bikka, often with the result being similar to the status quo ante bellum. They often followed the pattern of drawn-out, low-intensity fighting. The Second Crozdigian War lasted over two decades, 368-344. The Third Crozdigian War was a briefer affair, in which the Ambanwa River was reestablished as the border; it was a shorter war (though still long), lasting eight years from 285-277 BU. The Fourth Crozdigian War was a war of Crozdigian aggression, in which Crozdigians from the Valpen Peninsula struck northward, laying siege to the city of Ajhaa-Ajhaa in 202. Ajhaa-Ajhaa remained in Crozdigian hands for 21 years, until the year 181. Even after that, it was another two years until Crozdigian forces were fully expelled from Bikka. Nearly a century of peace (or at least a lack of war) followed. In 81 BU, the Bikkan king died suddenly, leaving the issue of succession ambiguous. Sensing weakness, Crozdig once again struck out for Ajhaa-Ajhaa. Both major claimants to the Bikkan throne reacted in different manners, with regional lords being split roughly evenly in their loyalties. One ordered his supporters to reinforce Ajhaa-Ajhaa, while the other ordered attacks on Ambanwa and the Crozdigian Archipelago itself. The divided forces were hardly as effective as a united army could have been, but Ajhaa-Ajhaa was liberated fairly quickly. Many Crozdigian forces were recalled to the islands, due to the unexpected attack on Crozdig itself. Armies ping-ponged back and forth all over Crozdig, Crozdigian Wal-Pei, and Bikka, making this war extremely taxing in terms of resources. The Bikkan claimants eventually came to an agreement, whereby they effectively would rule as co-kings. A treaty was eventually negotiated by King Xhaxeel in 59 that once again returned territories to the status quo ante bellum. Relations began to rapidly deteriorate between Crozdig and Bikka beginning around 15 BU. In 1 BU, Bikka invaded the east coast of the Valpen Peninsula. The Crozdigian response was sluggish, and a huge swathe of territory was lost, with the Sixth Crozdigian War concluding in in 7 AU. Loss of Territory The frequent batterings that Crozdig took from the Bikkans greatly affected their ability to hold areas outside the Crozdigian Archipelago. Just three years after the end of the Sixth Crozdigian War, Fe’eme declared its independence, officially supported by Haxroxex. This was followed by the loss of Gazzaril three years later, in the brief Gazzaril War. Despite lasting less than a year, the war was incredibly brutal and left the city severely depopulated and burned-out. Beginning in 22, parts of the former Kingdom of Wal began trying to reestablish independence. A series of low-level, mostly-guerrilla wars were fought over the following eight decades, all over the Valpen Peninsula. Along with the fighting, ethnic Crozdigians, many of whom had lived in Wal and Pei for centuries, were forcibly expelled. By the year 101, though, the entirety of both Wal and Pei had gained full, effective independence. Crozdig refused to acknowledge any of these territorial losses until the reformist leader Ñadabba Sasama came to power in 185. Raikazza Sasama also reformed the political structure, striking down the qualification of land ownership for voting. Since Sasama’s tenure as Raikazza, Crozdig has managed to make a name for itself as an important mercantile state. Category:Territories of Rorut